The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

We wrap up our combine beat writer series with three teams that suffered through various levels of disappointing seasons in 2025. First, Paul Dehner Jr. joins Robert Mays to break down the offseason facing the Bengals. After that, Jeff Zrebiec hops on with Robert to discuss the Ravens' transition to new coach Jesse Minter. Finally, Zach Berman and Robert dive into how a team coming off consecutive division titles, just one season removed from a Super Bowl Championship, could possibly be in as much tumult as are the Eagles.Connect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysWith: Paul Dehner Jr., Jeff Zrebiec, Zach BermanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

The Chiefs of recent vintage haven't been among the most interesting teams of the offseason because their offseasons have been, "Alright, Pat, let's run it back." That's not the case this year. The Vikings have a massive question at quarterback. The Colts started the season 8-2, lost Daniel Jones to injury, and then didn't win another game. Those three teams comprise part 2 of our Most Interesting Teams of the Offseason series. Jesse Newell (Chiefs), Alec Lewis (Vikings) and James Boyd (Colts) join Robert Mays to run through their respective teams on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)3:00 Kansas City Chiefs28:48 Minnesota Vikings48:51 Indianapolis ColtsConnect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysWith: Jesse Newell, Alec Lewis, James BoydExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Combine week brings together the entirety of NFL media, including The Athletic Football Show crew and The Athletic NFL beat writers. That's all the excuse we need to sit down with our beats and to talk about the most interesting teams of the offseason. On this first episode in the three-episode series, Robert Mays welcomes Daniel Popper on the Chargers, Nicki Jhabvala on the Commanders and Mike DeFabo on the Steelers.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)3:00 Los Angeles Chargers33:09 Washington Commanders52:11 Pittsburgh SteelersConnect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysWith: Daniel Popper, Nicki Jhabvala and Mike DeFaboExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

The annual NFL Scouting Combine is part NFL convention, part week-long networking event, part exercise in backchannel communication, and part job fair. It's also the legitimate start of that year's NFL Draft season. So what matters and what doesn't at the combine generally, and the 2026 edition specifically? Dave Helman and Dane Brugler dig in on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast.Connect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Dave HelmanCo-Host: Dane BruglerExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Dave on X: @davehelman_Follow Dane on X: @dpbruglerTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Eight or so teams enter the 2026 NFL season with an open quarterback situation, depending on your definition of "open." Which one of those is the best? Which one is the worst? How do the rest fill in between those? Dan Pizzuta joins Derrik Klassen to discuss the Vikings, Jets and all the rest on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Connect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanWith: Michael BellerExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

We're into the offseason, which means we're once again checking the mail. The TAFS mailbag returns with more than a few questions about what we can learn—or not—from this season's Super Bowl teams. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman tackle questions on big nickel, attacking Mike Macdonald's meta, teams that experience a one-year turnaround similar to what we just saw from the Patriots, and a whole lot more.Connect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanWith: Michael BellerExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

The next season effectively begins the moment the previous season ends, and with that new season comes a whole new set of questions. Such as, what happens on the quarterback carousel? Which big-name players might get traded? How will certain teams in the news—hello, Bengals, Cowboys and Eagles—approach the offseason? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman highlight their biggest questions for the NFL offseason on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)3:47 The quarterback carousel27:08 Trade candidates42:17 What's gonna happen with the Eagles50:52 Are people gonna lose their minds over Drake Maye?56:42 Can the Cowboys make the most of their offense?1:04:31 What's the Bengals pivot?1:07:35 What's next for Nnamdi Madubuike1:10:48 How will the teams with multiple first-round picks wield their influenceConnect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

The wildest coaching carousel any of us can remember finally stopped spinning when the Raiders officially named former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, fresh off a win in Super Bowl LX, as their new head coach. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman cover everything that has happened since our previous ride on the carousel, including Kubiak to the Raiders, Mike LaFleur to the Cardinals, the firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, filling out of various staffs across the league, and a whole lot more.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)7:34 Raiders hire Klint Kubiak28:58 Cardinals hire Mike LaFleur37:18 No black coaches hired despite 10 openings54:25 Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fired as Vikings GM1:05:59 Coordinator movesConnect with The Athletic Football ShowBuy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerchYT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShowPodcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/viewX: https://x.com/TA_FootballShowIG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshowDiscord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowCall us: 847-448-0701Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.comHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Seahawks are Super Bowl LX Champions, that's cool. It's also old news. It's 2026 NFL Draft time! And what better way to kick off the beginning of draft season than with a freshly updated edition of Dane Brugler's Top 100. He and Dave Helman dive deep into the new big board on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast.Host: Dave HelmanCo-Host: Dane BruglerExecutive Producer: Michael BellerVideo Producer: Katy DuffyAudio Producer: Michael BellerSocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Dave on X: @davehelman_Follow Dane on X: @dpbruglerTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC